This invention relates to paints, whether water-based or oil-based, varnishes, sealers, lacquers, and other protective coatings or decorative compositions, and to additives therefor. (For convenience, the word "paint" will be frequently used herein as a generic term for all such compositions, whether they are water white, tinted or pigmented.) The invention is particularly concerned with additives that temporarily impart color to paint, the color dissipating over a short period of time. A further aspect of the invention is a method of temporarily imparting a fugitive color to paint.
Paints have been formulated to retain their color. It has been an aim of manufacturers to achieve more permanency and fastness of color to resist fading for as long a possible. Current paint additives are directed to features such as extending the shelf-life of paint, increasing the color fastness of paint, reducing the tendency of paint to fade in sunlight, among others.
In the past, applying paint to like-colored surfaces has been a problem because the user has difficulty observing what has and what has not been painted; e.g., painting a white ceiling white. Current solutions include re-painting all or part of the surface, which can result in an uneven surface, and is time consuming; or changing the color of the surface being painted, which may not be as aesthetically pleasing to the consumer.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a paint additive that aids the user to differentiate what has been recently painted from an old painted surface when repainting with like-colored paint or similar compositions.